Considering Matthew Shepard | Simon Halsey | WDR Radio Choir

Considering Matthew Shepard - a moving oratorio against hate and discrimination with Simon Halsey and the WDR Radio Choir.
In 1998, a terrible crime shook the world: 22-year-old student Matthew Wayne Shepard was tortured and brutally killed - because he was gay. 20 years after the crime, composer Craig Hella Johnson brought "Considering Matthew Shepard" to the stage - a musical in which many musical styles combine with spiritual and documentary texts to form an indictment against hate and discrimination.
German premiere by the WDR Rundfunkchor under the baton of Simon Halsey, supported by the speakers Thomas Hermanns and Shary Reeves as well as prominent soloists from musicals and opera and musicians from the WDR Funkhausorchester. Performed as part of ColognePride 2022.
Craig Hella Johnson - Considering Matthew Shepard
00:00:00 Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
00:06:54 Ordinary Boy
00:14:32 We Tell Each Other Stories / I Am Open
00:18:20 Recitation I
00:18:51 The Fence (Before)
00:21:07 Recitation II
00:22:07 The Fence (That Night)
00:27:38 Recitation III
00:28:47 A Protestor
00:32:04 Keep It Away From Me
00:36:26 Recitation IV
00:37:28 Fire Of The Ancient Heart
00:41:46 Recitation V
00:42:25 Stray Birds
00:43:41 We Are All Sons
00:45:35 The Innocence
00:48:38 Recitation VI
00:49:01 The Fence (one week later)
00:52:20 Recitation VII
00:53:05 Stars
00:56:19 Recitation VIII
00:57:00 In Need of Breath
01:02:21 Recitation IX
01:03:04 Deer Song
01:06:26 Recitation X
01:06:55 The Fence (after) / The Wind
01:11:03 Pilgrimage
01:15:35 Meet Me Here
01:19:06 Thank You
01:21:22 All Of Us
01:27:19 Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass (Reprise)
Contributors:
Barbara Obermeier, vocals
Marie-Anjes Lumpp, vocals
Schirin Partowi, vocals
Onita Boone, vocals
Lotte Verstaen, vocals
Oliver Morschel, vocals
Fabian Böhle, vocals
David Howes, vocals
Johannes Leander Maas, vocals
Shary Reeves, speaker
Thomas Hermanns, speaker
WDR Radio Choir
Musicians of the WDR Funkhaus Orchestra
Simon Halsey, conductor
► For more on the Rundfunkchor, concerts and current livestreams, visit rundfunkchor.wdr.de

[@kevinskiles2033]

The composer Craig Hella Johnson is known primarily as a choral conductor. This should elevate him to a place as one of our finest choral composers.

[@mowhyt47]

Dieses wundervolle Oratorium braucht weitaus mehr Aufmerksamkeit

[@WDRKlassik]

Dankeschön! 😊

[@BlakeTechnology99]

Mein Chor in Amerika führt dieses Stück im Mai auf. Ich hoffe, wir können dem gerecht werden

[@TheDebbiedoodles]

I love the emotion in the songs especially the song about the fence and the male singer I held him all night long

[@farbodmojri]

Perfect 👍💕👏💐

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you!

[@melanieforse4075]

Fabulous. My choir is preparing this piece at the moment and it is wonderful to hear ( and see) this moving performance.

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you very much! 🤗

[@duneece]

Beautiful job!

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you! 🤗

[@Garfield175]

😿 beautifully sad